Boy Says He Didn't Go To Heaven; Publisher Says It Will Pull Book

[brooklynite]

NPR:

Nearly five years after it hit best-seller lists, a book that purported to be a 6-year-old boy's story of visiting angels and heaven after being injured in a bad car crash is being pulled from shelves. The young man at the center of The Boy Who Came Back from Heaven, Alex Malarkey, said this week that the story was all made up.

The book's publisher, Tyndale House, had promoted it as "a supernatural encounter that will give you new insights on Heaven, angels, and hearing the voice of God."

But Thursday, Tyndale House confirmed to NPR that it is taking "the book and all ancillary products out of print."

...snip...

"I did not die. I did not go to Heaven," Alex wrote. He continued, "I said I went to heaven because I thought it would get me attention. When I made the claims that I did, I had never read the Bible. People have profited from lies, and continue to. They should read the Bible, which is enough. The Bible is the only source of truth. Anything written by man cannot be infallible."

My recollection is that god gets particularly annoyed at that "bearing false witness" things. Hope the kid doesn't get a time out...

[Goblinmonger]

1. Thanks. I needed a good laugh this morning.

And by laugh I mean:

[trotsky]

2. "People have profited from lies, and continue to."

The story of religion.

[Mike Nelson]

3. Cheers to the kid for telling the truth...

...after those profiting didn't share their millions!

[edhopper]

4. It is informative

to read the defense of this boy's original story and that of the "Heaven is Real" boy.
It is a glimpse into the minds of believers.

[enki23]

5. Satan must have gotten to him.

There is no other possible explanation.

[cbayer]

6. Totally made up?? Wait, did someone actually think this was factual?

Never heard of the popular genre of "heavenly tourism". Anyone else?

The people who used this kid should be taken to task.

[trotsky]

7. Are you asking that question sincerely?

A large majority of US Christians believe in heaven. Of COURSE millions believed it to be factual - it confirmed their beliefs!

[rug]

15. Logic fail. Belief in a heaven does not eqate with a belief in this story.

[AtheistCrusader]

8. I can never tell when you're pulling people's leg.

It's impossible you haven't heard of this:

http://heavenisforreal.net/the-books/heaven-is-for-real/

Basically the same book, except the kid hasn't publicly recanted it. (After all, it was written by his father, a pastor)

[Warren Stupidity]

10. Massively out of touch with at least half of religious america.

[Warren Stupidity]

9. while confessing to making shit up formerly dead boy wades into biblical infallibility.

Frying pan => fire.

[LiberalAndProud]

11. The Bible is the only source of truth.

This kid can't stop lying.

[Iggo]

12. Well of course he didn't.

Nobody ever really ever believed that story.

Right?

[brooklynite]

13. I got a reply to a comment I posted about this on Beliefnet...

...where the righter expressed her disappointment that it wasn't true, but then pointed out there was ANOTHER boy who cliamed the same thing.

[Dorian Gray]

14. Isn't the kid's last name

Malarkey?

Enough said.